On November 4th, Drake and 21 Savage dropped their first full-length collaborative project: “Her Loss.”
Despite very little promotion mainly nestled within their semi-flippant, mock “press” campaign, “Her Loss” has made a pleasantly unexpected splash on today’s Hip-Hop’s landscape.
With fans in a chokehold off of the more polemical parcels, this shouldn’t negate the alchemy of “Her Loss”.
From the eclectic, tasteful sonics to the ever-witty bars and flows of both rappers, their respective idiosyncrasies shine bright to culminate in such a salient, yet controversial body of work.
Whenever two major forces come together, there is quite a bit of nuance that can be retrieved from their work.
With this, let us divulge a few takeaways from one of the best collaborations this year: “Her Loss.”
Their synergy is unmatched
Based on the chemistry on ‘Jimmy Cooks’ and previous collaborations, Drake and 21 Savage stress that they’re the best duo.
Bouncing off each other’s energy with relative ease, the duo equally express an open zeal for braggadocious rhymes about the lavish fruits of their labor and whatever else they currently feel inclined to get off their chest.
Whether it’s Drake on the hook and Savage on the bars or vice versa. They both manage to execute on either side of the token.
Drake wants all the smoke once again
As avid fans and pop culture drama lovers may attest, Drake isn’t a stranger to acrimony whatsoever.
Some of his most notable face-offs include his proverbial “beefs” with Chris Brown, Meek Mill, Kendrick Lamar and Pusha T. Though most of which have dissolved and have since reconciled.
Seemingly indifferent to his past wounds, Drake evidently has a few bones to pick once again in Her Loss.
There’s a comprehensive laundry list of folx he takes shots at all across the project: Megan Thee Stallion, Soulja Boy, Ice Spice, Ye, Pusha T, Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian.
As subtle and passive aggressive as they are, these sheisty easter eggs were meant to be discovered. At this point in this his career, Drake either feels impervious to backlash or simply doesn’t give a f**k.
Who needs publicity when you can do your own stunts
Leave it to Drake and 21 Savage to defy all the standard conventions of content promotion. In what feels like an unprecedented marketing move, they created their own satirical media rollout.
Some of their most notable hijinks include indulging in a mock rendition of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, emulating SNL’s ‘musical guest’ segment, cultivating a fraudulent “GQ” segment and reimagining their own Vogue cover, the latter of which they’ve been recently sued for.
At the moment, the impetus behind this bold move is unclear but it does illuminate their indifference to the powers and influence of the media.
In conjunction with all the shots fired on this project, this decision too was designed to turn a few heads and I’m quite certain that was achieved.
Texas is really the s**t
Ever since his “So Far Gone,” YMCMB days, Drake has been madly obsessed with the beloved region of Houston, TX.
In fact, his infatuation runs so deep that he even made an emotionally charged track about it back in the day: “Houstatlantavegas.”
On this record, his unbridled love for H-town and Texas as a whole is still very much palpable and he makes it fully apparent.
Even the album artwork is thoroughly steeped in contemporary Houston culture as it underscores the identity of popular native Qui Yasuka, more popularly known as, Suki Baby.
Fellow Houston native, and photographer Paris Aden, shot the talented nail stylist and professional adult dancer.
The rationale behind why they chose her is still unclear but this wouldn’t be the first time Drake has been ambiguous with his album artwork.
On myriad occasions throughout this project, both Drake and 21 pay great homage to the lone star state.
Redemption was on the brain
Contrary to what one would expect, Drake hasn’t been the hottest in terms of reception regarding some of his most previous works.
According to Pitchfork, he received a measly rating of 6.6 and his sixth studio album: Certified Lover Boy. This dropped in 2021, with its pertinence quickly fleeing the scene.
Given how sublime his discography is, it would only make sense that he would attempt to reach the mountaintop again.
With the release of “Her Loss,” we can say that Drake has reached his apex once again.
